SUMMARY

The feud between the Arab and Kounta communities in Mali had its origin in local elections that took place in June 1999. The elections were aimed at promoting decentralization in the poorer parts of northern Mali and in connection to the decentralisation each group was eager to ensure political influence in its region or town. As the results of the elections were delayed, the ethnic tensions grew. In combination with the struggle for political power, the two communities were also involved in large operations of contraband trade in the northern parts of Mali. They were consequently well-armed as they vied for political power in the municipalities. This explosive combination of factors erupted into a conflict when on 14 July when members of the rivalling ethnicities clashed, leaving at least ten people dead and a dozen wounded. The violence took place in Tarkint town, the central town that was one of the newly created administrative centres.

The electoral process polarized the two communities and, following the first outburst of violence in July the violence continued over the following three months. The violence was often characterized by attacks on gatherings of people of one ethnicity, for example weddings, followed by retaliatory attacks later in the day or week.

The Malian government worked throughout the conflict to curb the violence and get the parties to the conflict to engage in talks. Another measure taken by the government was to attempt to increase the control of weapons, the civilians of northern Mali were at the time heavily armed and the accessibility of weapons intensified the conflict and heightened the death toll.

The violence in this conflict was confined to the Gao region of northern Mali, and more specifically to the town of Tarkint and its vicinity.

The non-state conflict between Arab and Kounta communities in Mali is first included in UCDP data in 1999. In July that year more than 25 battle-related deaths were reported.